there, jim? >> a huge crowd, every time the numbers go up, the cheers go up. every time a state turns blue, and there has been a lot of cheering and this room tonight. they're watching history here at the historic howard theater. we have about 1,000 people. leaders from the african-american community. local leaders and invited guests from the ncaa and the urban league. people who have donated their time and money to president obama's re-election campaign. they've been on the edge of their seats tonight over virginia and florida but they like the signs they are seeing everywhere else. >> what do you think of what you're hearing so far. >> i'm really excited about it. i'm not surprised. i think obama is going to take  it. >> who do you think it means for the country tomorw, for the next four years? >> i think we can really move on. we need to move on. i think this penlt-up demand to move on no matter what and i really hope that the lawyers don't have to go in hyperdrive

and we can come together and do what we need to do and that is, move on and be the united states of america. >> this is the night they have been waiting for and working for, they are celebrating tonight and very hopeful for another four years. we're live at the howard theater, back to you. >> tonight at 11:00 another term or another president? record turnout at precincts across our area today. in virginia some waited for three hours after the polls had closed to kass their ballots. good evening, everyone, i'm >> good evening. we begin w doreen gentzler 11:00. polls have closed on the west coast. five more states have done voting at this hour. we're live at the news4 super joined with the latest nbc news projection in the presidential

race. >> there are not a lot of surprises on the west coast. this isn't shocking stuff. some reliably democratic states are doing what we that you. prescribe is projected to be the winner in, of course, california and washington state. and, of course, his home state down here in little old hawaii, beautiful hawaii down there. oregon, where you would think would, all kind of over here in the blue area, is still too early to call but the president is leading there. they also have an interesting legalizing marijuana issue in oregon on a local ballot. here's what the electoral vote stands. key states still too close to call. florida and virginia, florida, miami-dade down south which tends to be a little bit slow in reporting. they're still waiting. and, of course, virginia, the story all night. long lines wrapping up about now

and they'll be counting for a while. if the president wins ohio, that may be the clincher. jim and doreen, back to you! >> thank you, wendy. >> no final results from states considered crucial to the success of both presidential campaigns. virginia is one of them. >> steve handelsman has the report. >> reporter: lines of voters waiting to cast ballots. hours after the polls closed in battleground states. this was lee county, florida. prince william county, virginia. >> i've been here three hours. it's worth it. >> reporter: officials said v voting might last until 11:00 p.m. long lines meant results delayed. key states impossible to call. president obama, today -- >> we got to round up some votes. >> called to another swing state, wisconsin. >> tonight, he's the projected winner there and in a cluster of

northeastern states. mitt romney went to pittsburgh but pennsylvania tonight is projected an obama win. romney did win traditionally-republican southern and western states. >> until ohio, virginia, florida get tallied, this election remaining up in the air. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news at obama election night headquarters in chicago. >> our team is also in place covering the bigelow cal issues from the virginia senate race to the same-sex marriage and expanded gambling in maryland. we have reporters all over the place. we begin with the virginia senate race. >> george allen just conceded that race. julie is in richmond with more from tim kaine supporters. i imagine they're quite happy? >> there is a very fired-up crowd. they're getting ready for a victory speech.

some of tim kaine's friends and family. he's held a lot of political titles in his career. virginia governor. he's been dnc chairman appointed by president obama and mayor and tonight he adds the title, virginia senator elect. by a slim margin he defeats republican challenger george allen to take over tha opened virginia senate seat. the seat opened because democrat jim webb decided not to run for re-election after a second term. it's been one of the most closely watched senate races in the country because it is one of the keyest of democrats. keeping control of the u.s. senate. we talked to virginia party chairman brian moran a short while ago and this is what he had to say about the big win tonight. >> we feel good. we've been looking at the numbers as soon as they started reporting and thank goodness northern virginia came in. once the numbers came in from fairfax, we felt real good about

it. >> tim kaine winning the senate seat on the strength of the turnout in favor of northern virginia in places like fairfax, loudoun and prince williams counties. he'll be on the satage in about five minutes. we'll bring that to you live. >> thank you. turning to the republican side of the senate race in virginia, richard jar dan with the george allen campaign in richmond? no, not richard. okay. >> what we're going to do is turn to maryland instead. one of the big issues on the ballot, several of them, question six. voters are deciding whether or not to approve gay marriage. looking at the latest thumb ber numbers now, chris gordon will report from baltimore in a minute. on the gay marriage issue, it looked very close but those for the proposal seemed to be

pulling ahead. is that what you're hearing? >> exactly so. jim and doreen, good evening from baltimore. necessary people have had reason to cheer and hug but not yet. reason to celebrate because same-sex marriage, question six, their issue, is leading by about 2%. so as of right now, they are cautiously optimistic. >> question six, opened the lead early in the evening. maryland -- of montgomery county celebrated. they were married years ago in california. >> what we believe in maryland is our ability to stand up for a full, vibrant potential and to treat everyone equally under the law. >> some families brought their children. >> i think it means most to the kids because they've been working really hard hoping that everybody votes for question six. >> it means that kblooish parents can be treated as equals and it was just something that

would really help a lot of people. >> now we hear from the other side. the opposition against question six led by the maryland marriage alliance. the chairman, derrick mccoy. >> i feel good about our chances. we've seen a consistent increase. we're only down by two points. we started off at 12 and it's looking like we said the whole time, it's going to be a real close race. not everybody has reported by any stretch of the imagination. we're looking good. we're looking really good right now. >> question six hangs in the balance. the future of gay and lesbians marrying or not being able to mayor approximately in the state of maryland. that's the latest in baltimore, chris gordon, news4. >> and i guess, we should point out that maryland is the first state where the voters will decide this issue. it is legal in some other states but it was a made so by either

the legislature or by the judiciary and so this is the first in maryland if it passes. >> voters have rejected it, in fact, in several dozen states. now to another very contentious measure on the ballot in maryland and that's question seven, the one that will determine whether to expand gambling in the state and bring a big casino to prince george's county. a lot of money has been spent to sway the voters on the and as you can see this one is still pretty close but the more people that are voting for this than against it. tracy wilkins is at neesational harbor with more on the measure. this is where the fancy casino would go if it passes? >> that's right absolutely. if it passes it would go here. for that to happen the folks in prince george's county have to approve questn seven. there can still be an expansion of gambling in maryland if it's voted down here in prince georges but there can't be a casino without prince george's county saying they want question seven to pass.

so let's look at the numbers that we have right now. in prince george's county, at it stands, stands, 59% of the voters for the casino coming to prince george's county. 41% are against. in montgomery county, piererson returns there. 46% against it. of course, folks are paying close attention to not only what's happening in prince george's county but as you said earlier, the statewide numbers as well. before the polls closed we talked to voters about question seven and here's the what they had to say. >> i voted for number seven because i believe that it will create jobs. and the local schools. >> if you gamble that's your choice but being a christian woman i voted against it. >> the bottom line, we get 100% of nothing if we don't vote to do something. >> as you mentioned, doreen,

this is one of the most expensive actually the most expensive campaign that they've ever seen in maryland's history, mere expensive than the last gubernatorial campaigns, $71 million spent to convince voters to go one way or another with question seven. i believe that, yes, the county executive rashon baker is here to shi to the folks here. i'm tracy wilkins, news4. >> thanks, tracy. those in maryland deciding a number of issues including seven ballot issues. one of them is question four. it's otherwise known as the "dream act." that law allows undocumented stiends to be eligible to pay in-state tuition rates at maryland colleges. right now that initiative seems to believe on the way to passing. it is still very close but 48%

of the voters in and it is leading by about 14% right now. erika gonzalez has more from langl langley. >> reporter: hi, jim, i can barely hear you. they are cautiously optimistic about a win and maryland becoming the 13th state to allow the dream act. i want to tell you that the dreamers were taking every last opportunity to try to get people to the polls to vote for question four here in maryland. and in maryland, sheem pain is waiting in the wings and this is still not a win. however, there are crowds all over the place. people are crowding around the computers as the numbers are starting to come in and there are dreamers from all over the world. take a listen to the delegates. >> as we told you at the top of

the broadcast, tim kaine is the winner in the virginia u.s. senate contest. we've heard from his opponent, george allen. and conceding and now we're expecting to hear from former governor tim kaine who's won election to the u.s. senate tonight. it's a big moment and a lot of people in that crowd have got to be talking about what tim kaine's victory may mean for president obama in virginia. that is still too close to call. the presidential contest in the commonwealth. >> he did not distance himself from the president and in fact, mentioned the president and his support of him many times. going now to nbc news in new york. >> the indoor place -- what's it

like? >> brian i think it is safe to say that the mood has gone from exciting to electric. just take a moment to take it all in. the crowd cheering as they realize president obama has won ohio and re-election. everyone here essentially. take a listen. brian the crowd started gathering several hours ago. it has just grown. these are the people who have clocked the most time volunteering, volunteering their time, their energy, getting this president re-elected. at times, it has been.

the president made history in 2008. doing it again tonight. and for people just joining us as we watch the pictures of celebrations from chicago york, president barack obama has become the fourth democrat in the last 100 years to be elected to a second term at the age of 51. and motivated challenger. putting up with at least one spectacular defeat in, in the first of a series of three debates. that -- that really worried his base of support. and his staff.

and shook the campaign to the core. a threat he was able to shake off and go on to victory tonight. cobbling together an electoral map that has a derivation in the last time around. a huge ground game. and as chuck todd and i were just discussing, before this news came in, a scientific approach and a mathematical approach to the business of getting re-elected. while we watch the pictures, i want to hear the audio of peter alexander in boston, what was billed as the romney victory situation, now perhaps the saddest room in the country. peter. >> brian, a couple days ago, told us, barack obama's fire wall in ohio was burning. the obama campaign extinguished the fire. take a look around the room

right now you can see the sober faces of disappointment here in boston. they knew that ohio was critical to a victory tonight. despite the fact that florida and virginia were still on the board they recognized as soon as ohio went up on the screens that this meant president obama would remain president of the united states. governor romney has been reviewing, watching the returns with his family, alongside his wife ann, five sons, their wives, and 16 of the 18 grandchildren. a short distance away from where we are at the convention center here in boston. as soon as they get the news which obviously they have gotten as well on the screens that they're watching as well, we are anticipating somepoint this evening we'll hear what would be a concession speech from governor romney. remember when he was on his plane earlier today we told you before he said he only wrote one speech, it was a victory speech right now. but it appears clear he said if necessary would write a concession speech. increasingly clear that's what

he will have to do. >> we look back at things like this, how much the candidate knew, when he knew it. when he made the magnanimous comments, unsolicited earlier today about barack obama -- these guys are veterans and they're realists. they have staff around them who tell them the truth. and tell them -- despite being optimists by nature, to wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and believe you would be e right person to lead the united states. takes a force of personality. so they're optimists by nature. they're also realists. so, perhaps when the books are written, on this campaign, we will know -- when -- when they had a good idea how this was going when both men knew. for barack obama, it was the heavily contested state of ohio that put him over. we had been saying because it's -- it is a great bromide, had the advantage of being true,

all roads to the presidency led through ohio. and the continuity of the policy to bail out the auto industry. >> look beyond that, what he was able to do. mitt romney an alternative, out of touch with middle-class, out of touch with people's needs. it was a campaign that worked. the president appeared more empa thetic throu thetic. he overcame anxiety about the economy. by the way, brian, he owes a big debt of gratitude to bill clinton, the former president, who at the convention in north

carolina offered a testimonial for president obama when he said, no one, not even me, could have turned this economy around in this four years. >> savannah, what a nation he gets to cover for four more years, what a political reality he inherits, and to reference your own comments from earlier, he did this during a recession. >> no question about it. he now governs, a deeply fractured country. i mean, here he is winning tonight. but when we look at the popular vote you will see it is very tight indeed. so a country deeply divided along partisan lines. he inherits the same government, the same control, republicans governing the house. senate democrats will have control. in some ways it will make wake up tomorrow and nothing will have seemed to have changed. and faces a host of big ticket issues, fiscal situations, tax cuts, expected to expire end of the year, and if congress doesn't act, spending cuts. huge problems.

and also, a season of republican soulsearching. you can already see the dividing lines. some will way we should have nominated some one more conservative. that was a refrain we heard time and time again during the republican primary. others will say no this is a time for us to turn the page. we have to reach out to a greater segment of the electorate if we want to survive as a party. >> tom brokaw, right now, a crippled city awaiting a snowfallen a deeply blue state. it erupted outside here. you're inside the studio on the third floor, what is your view? >> my thinking, a kind of sweetness about this for the obama campaign that goes beyond the magnitude of what the first african-american president has achieved. re-election when two years ago he was so soundly defeated in the midterm election, and a lot of people thought he couldn't recover from that because they were so motivated on the republican side. and the state that put him over

tonight is not a state that is heavily populated by latinos, it does have an african-american population, but a white, working class statement. the state of ohio. no republican has ever won the presidency without winning ohio. and tonight, governor romney, despite all of his investment there, according to our projections, is not going to win the state of ohio. this its an historic turn. what happens tomorrow and for the coming weeks. what does president obama do about avoiding the fiscal cliff. old reality will come with the dawn. there are democrats saying he has got to make, big, bold political statement. and put everybody together. take them to an off site, camp david, have a summit sealed off from the caucuses and others try to get something done. but tonight, it is just the time to savor this astonishing re-election campaign, won by

people who knew this country and used all of the modern technology, cobbled together. this was a, post-modern campaign. not a retro campaign. too much of the republican side was looking back, not forward in terms of how you win the elections, brian. >> lester holt. the first tweet as president elect barack obama has writ in in -- written tonight. we are all in this together. that tea how we campai that's how we campaigned. >> he defied the gravity. gravity of a poor economy. brian, as you look at the unity and the joy in that room, it's -- it belies the division that we have seen on the maps you have been putting up all night. at one point. i looked up. saw the blue and red. i said out loud. we are looking at two america's. and those are the two america's that this president will have to some how find a way to try to

unite. as he continues to try to govern for the next four years. as tom and others have been saying, a deep divide in the country. we don't see in the picture the weave can see it in the picture, the mow sayimosaic. >> chuck todd, when we breckoke away to announce ohio you were saying? >> you know, i want to, let's step back here. the american people have re-elected a republican house, re-elected a democratic senate. and re-elected a democratic senate. $6 billion has been spent. we believe, on -- all of these elections in their total. all for -- status quo. first of all, we got to unpac that money and find out where did all the money go. local tv stations got a lot. went into other places. may have been wasted money there.

i will be curious to see. remember in our nbc "wall street journal" poll. 62% expected major changes. the president is going to have a couple of interesting moments. we know the fiscal cliff. but two, two -- things i am going to be watching when i have to do the other job that tie have. as white house correspondent. is going to be, who becomes the next treasury secretary, who becomes the next secretary of state. is it an obama insider. does he reach out and go with somebody else. maybe a little different. is it the chief of staff, next treasury secretary, or mark warner, or erskin bowles. he'll set the tone. is he going to broad in out. one of the big criticisms of the president in washington, the team was too insular. will he break the mold with the second term? >> a get to inject. because it is german to our

conversation. the great historian, "60 minutes." the shame of it they're spending all this unconscionable amount of money what is it producing. a not very good show. imagine the quantity of word that are being produced and you think there's anything that is going to stand the test of time in there? i haven't heard it yet. we should demand more of them. the citizens united supreme court decision which can only be reversed oddly by the citizens, united has turned politics on its ear. it has opened the floodgates of money in our politics. and the solution is in the people and in the democratic form of government. but that would take consensus. andrea mitchell. covering senate and house races, brief leave side tracked by the minor matter of the re-election of the president of the united states. >> we haven't yet called the senate. but in my counting, it looks to

me in talking to our experts it is now mathematically impossible. once the presidency is in the hand, left in the hand of president obama, you know they have possibility of the tie-breaking, president of the senate, vice president. the pickup would have to be for the republicans to take over the senate. they have two really possibilities left i can see. they have picked up one. which is nebraska. but, north dakota. the only ones. we'll wait the decision. decision desk. just a head up. i gather we have done it. there is no mathematical way that the republicans can regain the senate. this its the election. already projected the house remaining solidly in republican hand. as you watch this crowd, as we all watch the performance, played, you have to wonder about the demographic trend, the nuts and bolts of this obama victory

as by their pollsters, by their insiders, chuck todd, all of us. was based on math, on population growth, and increasing minority growth in the population. latino community. republican party, as lindsay graham and others have said, really have some hard thinking. and reflected in senate races as well. >> this is interesting. veteran journalist, ron fornier writes, barack obama won a second term but no mandate, thanks to his small bore broodish campaign. guarantees nothing more than consensus in a gridlocked capital and a polarized public. if he begins, that voters rubberstamped his jenn s agenday night. he is doomed to fail.

in the headquarters, what was dubbed as a victory rally in boston. >> this has been a stunned silent crowd over the course of the last few minutes. the call was made in ohio. the president re-elected president of the united states. but a lot of the people not convinced ohio is settled yet. they say it was 74, 75 precincts, percent, reporting at this point. this is still an unsettled race right now. an adviser to governor romney told me a matter of moments ago, only a matter of time before governor romney calls president obama. nonetheless, largely silence in the room. volunteers, one of the monitors on screen, reported that some republicans are not convinced ohio is settled. brian. >> andrea mitchell, it's not too early to begin a conversation about what, what republicans will be talking about when -- when they gather in groups? >> they're going to be talking about their candidate selection.

have to look at the way some of those who are outside of what is kidded t considered the mainstrf american candidates and values most of the middle of the country. the way people go to the polls. you have 53, 54% of the electorate to be women. voting on issues a. lolong with. women are going to polls in larger numbers. some things have been accepted with them for decade now. clearly women did not like the language used in the indiana and missouri race. republicans have to look very hard at that and look at their primary process. because, i was talking to halle barber. former republican chairman. this republican primary did not serve they party well.

it moved the party so far to the right. and it took -- mitt romney, too long to pivot back to mainstream, moderate, republican, consensus, that had been successful for the past decade. >> tom brokaw. talked to a prominent republican who said there has got to be a revivable middle of this party. >> i also heard from a republican operative. who said they're on line talking about how they retrenched the party. republicans watched, the kind of wild evenings on cable television, that pass for debates. and they went on too long. not just for the party but for the country as well. and the possibility fee you couyou -- you could have a third party

movement, the tea party is not going to go away. i talked to people involved in the tea party and formation. they're going to run an insurgency. you may see them going after state legislatures, they feel strongly about the need to get much smaller government. by the way, some of them, defended their choice of candidates not based on it but on smaller government as well. interesting thing. second term for the president. a chance to really secure his place in history. he has done it in two elections. he has to do it with achievement. often second terms can be its own kind of cliff. >> peter, peter alexander, a few minutes ago, touched on the fact that consensus in the room in boston is ohio is unsettled. peter, are you hearing more of that? >> yeah, brian, a matter of moments ago this room was chanting mitt. they're not convinced tonight is over yet. i just received an e-mail from the political director from the romney campaign. asked him if it was settled.

he said, not yet. around 20,000 now. and closing. the romney campaign is all along insisted brian this would be a long night. up and down. they believe it is still too early to put that state in president obama's column right now. so, they are, if nothing else, stubborn, that it is going to be a little longer before the decision can be made. brian. >> back in the room here, david gregory, savannah guthrie. that is a wrinkle. >> it is a wrinkle. we'll see how that plays out. although, y can change it in the romney campaign. meantime, there could be other routes to 270 for the president. just make it -- as we move through the calendar. to pick up on the point about, the tea party, tea party, we talked about it earlier. the speaker of the house. before the president -- was

re-elected >> the number one -- >> savannah, i can't help but think of someone who is looking for -- for medical research, who, that, the money we could have devoted that we spent on this campaign. >> better not to think about it. you will just get depressed. to come out with a result that is exactly what we had before the election season began 18 months ago. you talk about a mandate. guess how you define your term. first, really have a margin of victory that is sufficient to say there is a mandate. but the other issue what is the campaign. what was the second term jenn. their one thing that would so identifiable that everyone knew, when i vote for president obama i am voting for this. that would suggest a